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Tips for washing your baby

Advice on bathing your baby, designed to give you confidence when washing your baby in the bath, including bath and bath seat safety advice .


Discuss tips for washing your baby on our forums, right now! Or, post a comment below.

Parents of newborn babies often are worried about how and when to wash their baby. Here are some helpful tips:
  • You need to keep your baby clean and washed, but it is not necessary to give your baby a full bath every day. Two or three times a week will be plenty until he or she begins to crawl. However you will need to wash your baby's face, neck, hands and bottom daily.


  • Wash your baby's skin with mild soap once or twice a week. Daily use of soap is only necessary on the hands and the bottom. The rest of your baby's body can just be washed with water on most days, unless it is particularly dirty.


  • Use warm water, never hot, as it may scald your baby's sensitive skin.


  • Make sure you have everything you need on hand, including soap, shampoo, towel, nappy and clothing. Be sure to hold baby firmly.


  • When washing, start with the cleanest areas first, and work toward the dirtiest, so that the flannel and the water remain clean for as long as possible.


  • After washing each area, rinse thoroughly. Take special care when washing your baby's face, neck, ears, buttocks, genitals, and folds of skin.


  • Your baby's hair will only need shampooing once or twice a week. Just rinse hair with water on days between shampooing.


  • To wash your baby's ears, wash only the outside of the ear. Never put anything (such as an ear bud) into your baby's ear.
Washing your baby's genital area

When washing your baby's genitals, use a soft, clean cloth and lukewarm water. For girls, be sure to wash the area from front to back, being careful to gently clean between the folds of skin. No special care is needed to clean a boy's uncircumcised penis. Do not try to pull back the foreskin to clean underneath, this is not necessary. Simply wash the penis with soap and water.

Your Comments

We would love to hear your comments or views on this subject. If you would like to ask a question or start a discussion, please post a topic in our Nappies, Changing and Potty Training forum.
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Just read the comment below and im glad I did now as I worry when bathing my little lad and he crys alot and wriggles and hes only small and is 4weeks old. Charlotte x
added by ryansmummy88 [Thu 5th Feb 2009 @ 09:56:51]
Great article. I had a major fear of bathing my baby after she was born. We tried a wonderful new product that is incredibly simple and works amazingly well. They help to have a great grip on your baby while bathing. My husband uses them too when he showers with our baby. It's called Palm-Palms baby bath grips.
added by RSBMD [Mon 7th Jul 2008 @ 09:04:07]
thnx for the value information,
iam now in my 37 week waiting my baby girl (reine) to come out.
shes my first baby.
and iam so happy that i can find answers to all my questions concerning new borns
thnx again
manal
added by manal [Mon 30th Jun 2008 @ 08:51:11]
Hi,
My baby is 3 months old now and very much concerned about his new complection. He was very fair as a new born and mainained the complection for few weeks and slowly started getting kind of tanned and now is almost brown. I was using calendula oil for body massage and read that it has nothing to do with the skin complection. Another thing that i have noticed is , he always used to cry when i gave him a bath at 36-37C water temperature. But recently I tried with 33.5C water and he seems to enjoy his bath. I wonder whether that hot water shower was the reason for his skin tann??? Pleas help me with a right answer. I am struggling now with my guilty feeling.

added by semi123 [Fri 14th Mar 2008 @ 08:38:06]
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